Tonight’s episode of WWE Raw saw Chad Gable compete in the WWE Intercontinental Championship match against Gunther he earned two weeks ago. The two men quickly won over the Canadian crowd in attendance with their physical style and even elicited a “This Is Awesome” chant at one point. In the closing moments of the bout, the two men battled outside the ring, with Gable eventually getting the upper hand, smashing Gunther into the ring post.
After pushing The Ring General into the ring post a second time, the Olympian grabbed the hulking Austrian from behind and delivered a German suplex over the barricade. Moments later, he slipped into the ring, beating the ten count and picking up the victory.
It was a big win for The Alpha Academy frontman, but, unfortunately, WWE titles cannot exchange hands when matches end with a disqualification or count out. Following Gables’s victory, Imperium demanded the ring announcer, Samantha Irvin, clarify that fact to the live crowd, letting all of Quebec City know that Gunther is still the WWE Intercontinental Champion.
Gunther’s reign as champion currently sits at the 436-day mark, just shy of Honky Tonk Man’s historic 453-day run, the all-time longest reign. With a score to settle, it is very possible Gunther grants Gable another title shot, and it could happen at WWE’s next premium live event, Payback, on September 2. A win there would put him at the 448-day mark, less than a week away from breaking the WWE Hall of Famer’s long-standing record.